Boletín de aludes

San Francisco Peaks / Kachina Peaks Wilderness

Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Mon
Alta montaña
2 · Moderado
Límite del bosque
2 · Moderado
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 4 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

You could trigger an avalanche on steep northwest, north, northeast, and east  slopes near and above treeline.  Avoid slopes with cohesive slabs of wind loaded snow that rests on older, weaker snow near the ground.  Smooth and rounded pillows or cornices are indicators for wind loaded terrain. For a safer and a better skiing option look for areas below treeline that are less then 35 degrees and aren't wind affected. 

 

Problemas de aludes

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1.5–2.5

    Earlier this week, a large natural avalanche occurred on the NE face of Fremont Peak. The avalanche occured as wind built a slab over weak faceted snow, producing a failure near/at the ground. Steep NW, N, and NE aspects above 10,500' should be considered most suspect, especially on slopes with fine cinder substrate, with few rock anchors and depth hoar. Some westerly slopes may also have this problem, see January 2nd pit from Allison Clay.

    Many easterly slopes were skiied in Humphrey's Cirque over the past few days, however this is not solid evidence that a persistent slab avalanche will not be triggered on an easterly slope. A traveler could trigger a persistent slab avalanche from thin areas on the slope, where it is easier to affect the buried weak layer. 

    The best way to manage the risk from persistent slabs avalanches is to make conservative terrain choices. Persistent slabs can be potentially triggered by a skier’s/boarder’s  weight, even weeks after the last storm. The slabs often propagate in surprising and unpredictable ways. This makes this problem difficult to predict and manage and requires a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty.

    (1/5/2023)

    Arrow indicates smooth, rounded and pillow shapped slopes in area of Core Ridge/Snowslide Canyon. These are southeast, east and northest slopes above treeline that appear to be wind loaded. 

    Photo: Paul Dawson

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Unlikely
    Tamaño
    1–1.5

    Winds were actively transporting snow the past few days primarily above treeline. Watch for cracking in cohesive wind slabs overlaying softer snow, primarily near and above treeline. Avoid starting zones with large wind deposits.    

    Three inches of new snow accumulated near treeline Thursday night, and this snow will be available for transport and building of new wind slabs. Southwesterly winds are forecast for today. 

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